"Number 12 looks just like you." (2)

The Two-Source Hypothesis

THE TWO-SOURCE HYPOTHESIS and THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS

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TRADITIONALLY MATTHEW WAS considered the first (and most reliable) Gospel, since it was the longest. Also it appealed to the early (Catholic) church on theological grounds ("on this rock I will build my church"), which seemed to justify the Catholic church.
    Because of "Matthean priority," Mark suffered, because for a long time it was thought Mark merely used Matthew as a source and omitted a lot of material. But as scholars began to believe that Mark was first, the value of Mark increased greatly, because Mark would have been closer to the Jesus tradition, by about ten years.
    There are many reasons why Mark is considered first. The most basic is the omission in Mark of stories in Matthew and Luke. If Matthew and Luke came first why would Mark omit these stories?
    Moreover Matthew and Luke often use the same text as Mark, sometimes word for word. This suggests they used Mark as a source.
    But they also had sayings not in Mark. So both must have used a second source ("quelle" in German). Hence the Two-Document (Source) Hypothesis (theory): Mark came first; Matthew and Luke based their Gospels on Mark; they also shared some second source text that must have been only a collection of Jesus' sayings (without narrative); they incorporated (included) those sayings into their Gospels but in different redactions; that is, the sayings were used in different contexts, for different purposes.
    Since there is material in Matthew and Luke not shared by either, the Two Source Hypothesis was expanded to a Four Source Hypothesis, one source used by Matthew, another by Luke (besides the other two sources: Mark and Q). We'll keep it simple and focus on the Two Source Hypothesis. At least it helps place Mark as the earliest Gospel.
    Now scholars were about to abandon the Two Source Hypothesis until the Gospel of Thomas was discovered in the 1940s! This Gospel includes only Jesus' sayings, with no narrative. Fifty percent of those sayings are the same as in the Gospels.
    This was just what scholars were looking for! Though not the Q text, it proved that similar texts of just Jesus' sayings circulated in early Christian days.
    Dating this Gospel is difficult. Some date it after the Gospels but some before even Mark. So it's a very important document, if at times difficult.
    Why was it rejected? Because it contained too many Gnostic ideas. Gnosticism was a philosophy that believed in a battle between Light and Dark. Light is imprisoned in the dark bodies and tries to escape. It does so by secret "knowing" that the world is evil, was created by an evil God (the Old Testament God) and Jesus is the Light Bearer who can free the light trapped in our bodies.
    Gnostic texts can become more complex than this, but above is a useful summary. Some of these ideas survived in the orthodox (canonical) Gospels but in different contexts. We know that the Gospel of John at times sounds Gnostic, with a dualistic world of Light and Dark. But some scholars believe that John is actually fighting Gnosticism by using some Gnostic ideas in an "orthodox" way, as if to "correct" Thomas and nother Gnostics.
    We know that Jesus is quoted in the canonical Gospels as saying "the kingdom of Heaven is within." But in Thomas these ideas sound more dangerous. Jesus is never referred to as special, but is only a teacher of "hidden" knowledge: how to escape the prison of the world. Moreover the Gospel of Thomas suggests literally that the kingdom of God is within; there is no need for Jesus to mediate salvation; we can find it ourselves with special (hidden) knowledge, mostly of a mental kind.
    Curious students may wish to study the complete Gospel of Thomas (below)! Now readers can make up their own minds whether this is divine, or at least useful, wisdom. In any case, this is what the Q source must have looked like--assuming there was a Q source (and few things are certain in biblical scholarship!).
    THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS IS NOT REQUIRED READING.

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THE GNOSTIC SOCIETY LIBRARY

The Nag Hammadi Library

The Gospel of Thomas

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Translated by Thomas O. Lambdin

(Visit the Gospel of Thomas Collection for additional information)

These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down.

(1) And he said, "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death."

(2) Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."

(3) Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."

(4) Jesus said, "The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a small child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will become last, and they will become one and the same."

(5) Jesus said, "Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is hidden from you will become plain to you . For there is nothing hidden which will not become manifest."

(6) His disciples questioned him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How shall we pray? Shall we give alms? What diet shall we observe?"
Jesus said, "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered."

(7) Jesus said, "Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man."

(8) And he said, "The man is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."

(9) Jesus said, "Now the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came and gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take root in the soil, and did not produce ears. And others fell on thorns; they choked the seed(s) and worms ate them. And others fell on the good soil and it produced good fruit: it bore sixty per measure and a hundred and twenty per measure."

(10) Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am guarding it until it blazes."

(11) Jesus said, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. In the days when you consumed what is dead, you made it what is alive. When you come to dwell in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?"

(12) The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that you will depart from us. Who is to be our leader?"
Jesus said to them, "Wherever you are, you are to go to James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being."

(13) Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to someone and tell me whom I am like."
Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a righteous angel."
Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher."
Thomas said to him, "Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying whom you are like."
Jesus said, "I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring which I have measured out."
And he took him and withdrew and told him three things. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?"
Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the things which he told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me; a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up."

(14) Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will give rise to sin for yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into any land and walk about in the districts, if they receive you, eat what they will set before you, and heal the sick among them. For what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but that which issues from your mouth - it is that which will defile you."

(15) Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, prostrate yourselves on your faces and worship him. That one is your father."

(16) Jesus said, "Men think, perhaps, that it is peace which I have come to cast upon the world. They do not know that it is dissension which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire, sword, and war. For there will be five in a house: three will be against two, and two against three, the father against the son, and the son against the father. And they will stand solitary."

(17) Jesus said, "I shall give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has never occurred to the human mind."

(18) The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us how our end will be."
Jesus said, "Have you discovered, then, the beginning, that you look for the end? For where the beginning is, there will the end be. Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning; he will know the end and will not experience death."

(19) Jesus said, "Blessed is he who came into being before he came into being. If you become my disciples and listen to my words, these stones will minister to you. For there are five trees for you in Paradise which remain undisturbed summer and winter and whose leaves do not fall. Whoever becomes acquainted with them will not experience death."

(20) The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us what the kingdom of heaven is like."
He said to them, "It is like a mustard seed. It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it falls on tilled soil, it produces a great plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky."

(21) Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are your disciples like?"
He said, "They are like children who have settled in a field which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Let us have back our field.' They (will) undress in their presence in order to let them have back their field and to give it back to them. Therefore I say, if the owner of a house knows that the thief is coming, he will begin his vigil before he comes and will not let him dig through into his house of his domain to carry away his goods. You, then, be on your guard against the world. Arm yourselves with great strength lest the robbers find a way to come to you, for the difficulty which you expect will (surely) materialize. Let there be among you a man of understanding. When the grain ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand and reaped it. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."

(22) Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to his disciples, "These infants being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom."
They said to him, "Shall we then, as children, enter the kingdom?"
Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter the kingdom."

(23) Jesus said, "I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one."

(24) His disciples said to him, "Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary for us to seek it."
He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he lights up the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness."

(25) Jesus said, "Love your brother like your soul, guard him like the pupil of your eye."

(26) Jesus said, "You see the mote in your brother's eye, but you do not see the beam in your own eye. When you cast the beam out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to cast the mote from your brother's eye."

(27) <Jesus said,> "If you do not fast as regards the world, you will not find the kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath as a Sabbath, you will not see the father."

(28) Jesus said, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in flesh. I found all of them intoxicated; I found none of them thirsty. And my soul became afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not have sight; for empty they came into the world, and empty too they seek to leave the world. But for the moment they are intoxicated. When they shake off their wine, then they will repent."

(29) Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty."

(30) Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."

(31) Jesus said, "No prophet is accepted in his own village; no physician heals those who know him."

(32) Jesus said, "A city being built on a high mountain and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden."

(33) Jesus said, "Preach from your housetops that which you will hear in your ear. For no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place, but rather he sets it on a lampstand so that everyone who enters and leaves will see its light."

(34) Jesus said, "If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit."

(35) Jesus said, "It is not possible for anyone to enter the house of a strong man and take it by force unless he binds his hands; then he will (be able to) ransack his house."

(36) Jesus said, "Do not be concerned from morning until evening and from evening until morning about what you will wear."

(37) His disciples said, "When will you become revealed to us and when shall we see you?"
Jesus said, "When you disrobe without being ashamed and take up your garments and place them under your feet like little children and tread on them, then will you see the son of the living one, and you will not be afraid"

(38) Jesus said, "Many times have you desired to hear these words which I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them from. There will be days when you will look for me and will not find me."

(39) Jesus said, "The pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge (gnosis) and hidden them. They themselves have not entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You, however, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves."

(40) Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted outside of the father, but being unsound, it will be pulled up by its roots and destroyed."

(41) Jesus said, "Whoever has something in his hand will receive more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little he has."

(42) Jesus said, "Become passers-by."

(43) His disciples said to him, "Who are you, that you should say these things to us?"
<Jesus said to them,> "You do not realize who I am from what I say to you, but you have become like the Jews, for they (either) love the tree and hate its fruit (or) love the fruit and hate the tree."

(44) Jesus said, "Whoever blasphemes against the father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will not be forgiven either on earth or in heaven."

(45) Jesus said, "Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A good man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man brings forth evil things from his evil storehouse, which is in his heart, and says evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things."

(46) Jesus said, "Among those born of women, from Adam until John the Baptist, there is no one so superior to John the Baptist that his eyes should not be lowered (before him). Yet I have said, whichever one of you comes to be a child will be acquainted with the kingdom and will become superior to John."

(47) Jesus said, "It is impossible for a man to mount two horses or to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters; otherwise, he will honor the one and treat the other contemptuously. No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old wineskins, lest they burst; nor is old wine put into a new wineskin, lest it spoil it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, because a tear would result."

(48) Jesus said, "If two make peace with each other in this one house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move Away,' and it will move away."

(49) Jesus said, "Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will return."

(50) Jesus said, "If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?', say to them, 'We came from the light, the place where the light came into being on its own accord and established itself and became manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?', say, 'We are its children, we are the elect of the living father.' If they ask you, 'What is the sign of your father in you?', say to them, 'It is movement and repose.'"

(51) His disciples said to him, "When will the repose of the dead come about, and when will the new world come?"
He said to them, "What you look forward to has already come, but you do not recognize it."

(52) His disciples said to him, "Twenty-four prophets spoke in Israel, and all of them spoke in you."
He said to them, "You have omitted the one living in your presence and have spoken (only) of the dead."

(53) His disciples said to him, "Is circumcision beneficial or not?"
He said to them, "If it were beneficial, their father would beget them already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become completely profitable."

(54) Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven."

(55) Jesus said, "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother cannot become a disciple to me. And whoever does not hate his brothers and sisters and take up his cross in my way will not be worthy of me."

(56) Jesus said, "Whoever has come to understand the world has found (only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the world."

(57) Jesus said, "The kingdom of the father is like a man who had good seed. His enemy came by night and sowed weeds among the good seed. The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds; he said to them, 'I am afraid that you will go intending to pull up the weeds and pull up the wheat along with them.' For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will be pulled up and burned."

(58) Jesus said, "Blessed is the man who has suffered and found life."

(59) Jesus said, "Take heed of the living one while you are alive, lest you die and seek to see him and be unable to do so."

(60) <They saw> a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judea. He said to his disciples, "That man is round about the lamb."
They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat it."
He said to them, "While it is alive, he will not eat it, but only when he has killed it and it has become a corpse."
They said to him, "He cannot do so otherwise."
He said to them, "You too, look for a place for yourself within repose, lest you become a corpse and be eaten."

(61) Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and the other will live."
Salome said, "Who are you, man, that you ... have come up on my couch and eaten from my table?"
Jesus said to her, "I am he who exists from the undivided. I was given some of the things of my father."
<...> "I am your disciple."
<...> "Therefore I say, if he is destroyed, he will be filled with light, but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness."

(62) Jesus said, "It is to those who are worthy of my mysteries that I tell my mysteries. Do not let your left (hand) know what your right (hand) is doing."

(63) Jesus said, "There was a rich man who had much money. He said, 'I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouse with produce, with the result that I shall lack nothing.' Such were his intentions, but that same night he died. Let him who has ears hear."

(64) Jesus said, "A man had received visitors. And when he had prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite the guests.
He went to the first one and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said, 'I have claims against some merchants. They are coming to me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to be excused from the dinner.'
He went to another and said to him, 'My master has invited you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a house and am required for the day. I shall not have any spare time.'
He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'My friend is going to get married, and I am to prepare the banquet. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused from the dinner.'
He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a farm, and I am on my way to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused.'
The servant returned and said to his master, 'Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to be excused.' The master said to his servant, 'Go outside to the streets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that they may dine.' Businessmen and merchants will not enter the places of my father."

(65) He said, "There was a good man who owned a vineyard. He leased it to tenant farmers so that they might work it and he might collect the produce from them. He sent his servant so that the tenants might give him the produce of the vineyard. They seized his servant and beat him, all but killing him. The servant went back and told his master. The master said, 'Perhaps he did not recognize them.' He sent another servant. The tenants beat this one as well. Then the owner sent his son and said, 'Perhaps they will show respect to my son.' Because the tenants knew that it was he who was the heir to the vineyard, they seized him and killed him. Let him who has ears hear."

(66) Jesus said, "Show me the stone which the builders have rejected. That one is the cornerstone."

(67) Jesus said, "If one who knows the all still feels a personal deficiency, he is completely deficient."

(68) Jesus said, "Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted. Wherever you have been persecuted they will find no place."

(69) Jesus said, "Blessed are they who have been persecuted within themselves. It is they who have truly come to know the father. Blessed are the hungry, for the belly of him who desires will be filled."

(70) Jesus said, "That which you have will save you if you bring it forth from yourselves. That which you do not have within you will kill you if you do not have it within you."

(71) Jesus said, "I shall destroy this house, and no one will be able to build it [...]."

(72) A man said to him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's possessions with me."
He said to him, "O man, who has made me a divider?"
He turned to his disciples and said to them, "I am not a divider, am I?"

(73) Jesus said, "The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Beseech the Lord, therefore, to send out laborers to the harvest."

(74) He said, "O Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the cistern."

(75) Jesus said, "Many are standing at the door, but it is the solitary who will enter the bridal chamber."

(76) Jesus said, "The kingdom of the father is like a merchant who had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl. That merchant was shrewd. He sold the merchandise and bought the pearl alone for himself. You too, seek his unfailing and enduring treasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm destroys."

(77) Jesus said, "It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth, and unto me did the all extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."

(78) Jesus said, "Why have you come out into the desert? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a man clothed in fine garments like your kings and your great men? Upon them are the fine garments, and they are unable to discern the truth."

(79) A woman from the crowd said to him, "Blessed are the womb which bore you and the breasts which nourished you."
He said to her, "Blessed are those who have heard the word of the father and have truly kept it. For there will be days when you will say, 'Blessed are the womb which has not conceived and the breasts which have not given milk.'"

(80) Jesus said, "He who has recognized the world has found the body, but he who has found the body is superior to the world."

(81) Jesus said, "Let him who has grown rich be king, and let him who possesses power renounce it."

(82) Jesus said, "He who is near me is near the fire, and he who is far from me is far from the kingdom."

(83) Jesus said, "The images are manifest to man, but the light in them remains concealed in the image of the light of the father. He will become manifest, but his image will remain concealed by his light."

(84) Jesus said, "When you see your likeness, you rejoice. But when you see your images which came into being before you, and which neither die not become manifest, how much you will have to bear!"

(85) Jesus said, "Adam came into being from a great power and a great wealth, but he did not become worthy of you. For had he been worthy, he would not have experienced death."

(86) Jesus said, "The foxes have their holes and the birds have their nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head and rest."

(87) Jesus said, "Wretched is the body that is dependant upon a body, and wretched is the soul that is dependent on these two."

(88) Jesus said, "The angels and the prophets will come to you and give to you those things you (already) have. And you too, give them those things which you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they come and take what is theirs?'"

(89) Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not realize that he who made the inside is the same one who made the outside?"

(90) Jesus said, "Come unto me, for my yoke is easy and my lordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves."

(91) They said to him, "Tell us who you are so that we may believe in you."
He said to them, "You read the face of the sky and of the earth, but you have not recognized the one who is before you, and you do not know how to read this moment."

(92) Jesus said, "Seek and you will find. Yet, what you asked me about in former times and which I did not tell you then, now I do desire to tell, but you do not inquire after it."

(93) <Jesus said,> "Do not give what is holy to dogs, lest they throw them on the dung-heap. Do not throw the pearls to swine, lest they [...] it [...]."

(94) Jesus said, "He who seeks will find, and he who knocks will be let in."

(95) Jesus said, "If you have money, do not lend it at interest, but give it to one from whom you will not get it back."

(96) Jesus said, "The kingdom of the father is like a certain woman. She took a little leaven, concealed it in some dough, and made it into large loaves. Let him who has ears hear."

(97) Jesus said, "The kingdom of the father is like a certain woman who was carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking on the road, still some distance from home, the handle of the jar broke and the meal emptied out behind her on the road. She did not realize it; she had noticed no accident. When she reached her house, she set the jar down and found it empty."

(98) Jesus said, "The kingdom of the father is like a certain man who wanted to kill a powerful man. In his own house he drew his sword and stuck it into the wall in order to find out whether his hand could carry through. Then he slew the powerful man."

(99) The disciples said to him, "Your brothers and your mother are standing outside."
He said to them, "Those here who do the will of my father are my brothers and my mother. It is they who will enter the kingdom of my father."

(100) They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him, "Caesar's men demand taxes from us."
He said to them, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God, and give me what is mine."

(101) <Jesus said,> "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother as I do cannot become a disciple to me. And whoever does not love his father and his mother as I do cannot become a disciple to me. For my mother [...], but my true mother gave me life."

(102) Jesus said, "Woe to the pharisees, for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat nor does he let the oxen eat."

(103) Jesus said, "Fortunate is the man who knows where the brigands will enter, so that he may get up, muster his domain, and arm himself before they invade."

(104) They said to Jesus, "Come, let us pray today and let us fast."
Jesus said, "What is the sin that I have committed, or wherein have I been defeated? But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then let them fast and pray."

(105) Jesus said, "He who knows the father and the mother will be called the son of a harlot."

(106) Jesus said, "When you make the two one, you will become the sons of man, and when you say, 'Mountain, move away,' it will move away."

(107) Jesus said, "The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the ninety-nine.'"

(108) Jesus said, "He who will drink from my mouth will become like me. I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden will be revealed to him."

(109) Jesus said, "The kingdom is like a man who had a hidden treasure in his field without knowing it. And after he died, he left it to his son. The son did not know (about the treasure). He inherited the field and sold it. And the one who bought it went plowing and found the treasure. He began to lend money at interest to whomever he wished."

(110) Jesus said, "Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let him renounce the world."

(111) Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will be rolled up in your presence. And the one who lives from the living one will not see death." Does not Jesus say, "Whoever finds himself is superior to the world?"

(112) Jesus said, "Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe to the soul that depends on the flesh."

(113) His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?"
<Jesus said,> "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'here it is' or 'there it is.' Rather, the kingdom of the father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."

(114) Simon Peter said to him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life."
Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven."

Selection made from James M. Robinson, ed., The Nag Hammadi Library, revised edition. HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1990.

"Number 12 looks just like you."

Number 12

NUMBER 12 LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU

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    This episode of The Twilight Zone is a thinly disguised allegory of social conformity, not just conformity to a physical ideal. Like Marilyn rebels at first but then thinks it's wonderful to look like Valerie, most teenagers rebel at first but soon adapt the ways of the world (success, popularity, possessions, money, beauty, politics, taste, etc.).
    Adolescence is chosen as the time of the transformation ("transform" = "conform") not because conformity is greatest during that period but because rebellion is greatest during that period. So transformation (conformity) must happen at that time or it may never occur.
   For Wednesday briefly (several minutes, no more than 5) discuss this episode in terms of its theme or based on your own personal experience of similar pressures in your life.
    Brevity (being brief) does not mean saying nothing of substance because there's not enough time; it means you've got to work harder to say something of substance in the limited time allowed. That means you must organize your thoughts; find the right words; find the perfect comparisons or analogies, know the point you wish to make and make it plainly.

Go here: 1, 2, 3.

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Two Songs

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER

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This was one of the most covered songs of the 1970s and after. It's from Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water LP, written (music and lyrics) by Simon and sung by Garfunkel. Simon claims he got the title from a recording by the Gospel group, The Swan Silvertones, whom he admired. Soul singer Aretha Franklin recorded a memorable Soul version on Atlantic Records, treating the song like Picasso and making a new song out of it. Frankly I prefer Franklin's recording but the original version has its own (more sentimental) beauty. Elvis recorded it near the end of his life. Lyrics are below. Go here. (Or use console below.)
When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all

I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you

I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way

See how they shine
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

This is the lead song from The Rolling Stones' Beggars Banquet album, probably the Stones' greatest album. The speaker is the Devil, "a man of wealth and taste" (hence, he belongs to the world as the Gospels understand it). The Devil takes us through thousands of years of bloody history (after all, this is his world and these are the bloody results). At the same time, the Devil seems to say he's part of all of us. So when we usually meet diabolic people we treat them with politeness and respect.  Keith Richard's guitar break (2:52-3:28) is one of the most celebrated in Rock history. At times it's minimalist in structure, using few notes with maximum impact. To hear the song go here or go to console at bottom.

Yo!..... Yo!...... Yo!

Woo Good!....

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

I stuck around at St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a-time for a change
Killed the czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain

I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, ah yeah

(whoo whoo, whoo whoo)
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens (whoo whoo)
Fought for ten decades (whoo whoo)
For the gods they made (whoo whoo)

I shouted out, (whoo whoo)
"Who killed the Kennedys?" (whoo whoo)
When after all (whoo whoo)
It was you and me (whoo whoo)

Let me please introduce myself (whoo whoo)
I'm a man of wealth and taste (whoo whoo)
And I laid traps for troubadours (whoo whoo)
Who get killed before they reached Bombay (whoo whoo, whoo whoo)

Pleased to meet you (whoo whoo)
Hope you guessed my name, (whoo whoo) oh yeah (whoo whoo)
But what's puzzling you (whoo whoo)
Is the nature of my game(whoo whoo), oh yeah, get down, baby (whoo whoo)
(whoo whoo, whoo whoo)
(whoo whoo)
(whoo whoo)
(whoo whoo) ..........

Pleased to meet you (whoo whoo)
Hope you guessed my name, (whoo whoo) oh yeah (whoo whoo)
But what's confusing you (whoo whoo)
Is just the nature of my game (whoo whoo) um yeah (whoo whoo)

Just as every cop is a criminal (whoo whoo)
And all the sinners saints (whoo whoo)
As heads is tails (whoo whoo)
Just call me Lucifer (whoo whoo)
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint (whoo whoo)

So if you meet me (whoo whoo)
Have some courtesy (whoo whoo)
Have some sympathy, (whoo whoo) and some taste (whoo whoo)
Use all your well-learned politesse (whoo whoo)
Or I'll lay your(whoo whoo) soul to waste,(whoo whoo), um yeah (whoo whoo)

Pleased to meet you (whoo whoo)
Hope you guessed my name, (whoo whoo) um yeah (whoo, whoo)
But what's puzzling you (whoo whoo)
Is the nature of my game, (whoo whoo) um mean it, (whoo whoo) get down
(whoo whoo) (whoo whoo)
(whoo whoo) (whoo whoo)

Woo, who (whoo whoo)
Oh yeah, get on down (whoo whoo)
Oh yeah (whoo whoo)
(whoo whoo, whoo whoo)
(whoo whoo, whoo whoo)........

Oh yeah! (whoo, whoo)
Tell me baby,(whoo whoo) what's my name(whoo whoo)
Tell me honey,(whoo whoo) can ya guess my name (whoo whoo)
Tell me baby, (whoo whoo) what's my name (whoo whoo)
I tell you one time, (whoo whoo) you're to blame (whoo whoo)

Woo Who (whoo whoo)
Woo Who (whoo whoo)
Woo (whoo whoo) alright (whoo whoo)

Oh, who who, oh, who who, (whoo whoo) oh, who who
Oh Yeah (whoo whoo)
Woo, who who (whoo whoo) Woo, who who (whoo whoo)
Ah yeah, a-what's my name (whoo whoo)

Tell me, baby, (whoo whoo) what's my name (whoo whoo)
Tell me, sweetie, (whoo whoo) what's my name (whoo whoo)

Woo, who, who (whoo whoo)
Woo, who, who (whoo whoo)
Woo, who, who (whoo whoo)
Woo, who, who (whoo whoo)
Oh, who, who (whoo whoo)
Woo, who, who (whoo whoo)
Ah, yeah!
Whoo whoo
Woo Who Who
Whoo whoo

2nd paper grades

Second Essay Grades
Keyed to final digits of Student ID

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0029,85
050,80
049,80
059,85
100,90
5029,85
041,80
010,95
130,80
075,80
372,80
091,80
077,85
033,85
106,95
039,90

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Scheduled film for 4 June 2010

MY FAIR LADY

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THE SCHEDULED FILM for Friday, 4 June 2010 is My Fair Lady (George Cukor, 1964). Its director, Cukor, was one of those studio directors who benefited from the Auteur Theory, as Auteurists discovered deeper meanings in his mise-en-scene and his sympathy with women.
    (Cukor was homosexual, perhaps partly explaining his sympathy with women. Clark Gable had him fired from Gone with the Wind [1939] because he felt that Cukor paid more attention to Vivien Leigh [who played Scarlett O'Hara] than to him as Rhett Butler. Victor Fleming replaced Cukor on the film.)
    My Fair Lady was a costly but also controversial movie. Rights for the legendary Lerner and Loewe Broadway production (then the longest running Broadway show in history) cost the then huge sum of five million dollars.
    Despite the fact that Julie Andrews co-starred as Eliza Doolittle in the original Broadway production, the studio decided to take no chances at the box-office and chose instead, Audrey Hepburn, then at the height of her popularity and a box-office guarantee. (Notice that even though Rex Harrison was the star of the Broadway production he receives second billing, after Hepburn, in the film! That's the meaning of star power. The studio had more faith in Hepburn's box-office appeal than in Harrison's.)
    But the choice became quickly controversial, and even more so when it was revealed that Hepburn's singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon. There should have been nothing shocking about this revelation since it had long been the custom in Hollywood to dub vocals. But many believed that this revelation further weakened Hepburn's chances at Oscar time. In fact she wasn't even nominated, while Andrews, the sentimental favorite, not only was nominated for Mary Poppins but won.
    The film in general suffered by a largely lukewarm response from the critics. Although Cukor directed, many believed this was not a personal project but a studio project, controlled more by the studio and producer than the director. Besides, stage properties are often an encumbrance to a movie director, saddled with expectations from audiences familiar with the original stage version, especially in the case of a legendary property such as the Lerner-Loewe musical.
    The film does have long lapses of limited inspiration (especially in the staging of the songs), but (all things considered) it's a reputable achievement. Hepburn's performance is, I think, better than critics gave her credit for. Most critics of course applauded Hepburn's transformation but not her Cockney role before the transformation. Of course Hepburn could play a sophisticated woman in her sleep; the question was whether she could pull off the part of Eliza before her change. But I think it's the audiences who saw the glamor beneath Hepburn's rags, despite a convincing performance, hardly Hepburn's fault.
    Our focus is mainly on editing, though the production design and costume design are also noteworthy. Editing is often an invisible art. Unlike cinematography, clearly visible on the screen, editing involves what to leave in as well as what to leave out, and of course only people familiar with the production (director, actors, writers, etc.) could know this. But on average a film involves a ratio of screen time to coverage of 10 or even 20 to 1, which means for every minute of screen time 20 were left out!
    But the viewer sees only the film's final print and doesn't see the special arrangement of the story that the editor chose or the many invisible cuts on action (continuity editing). Even elliptical cuts may seem more the function of the screenplay than the editing; while performances are credited to the actors, though the editor chooses the best takes, chooses when to focus on a person speaking or a person listening, or even creates a reaction in one scene that was filmed for another scene!
    Often film textbooks focus mainly on obvious editing choices, intercutting, parallel editing, etc. So I deliberately chose a film where much of the editing is pedestrian and probably invisible to most viewers. This allows for an optimal understanding of what editing is, which can be applied to most (98%) films. Hopefully these study pictures will help students practice what to look for in the editing of mainstream movies.
    Editors choose the best takes.
    They match on action (continuity editing).
    They cut for impact.
    The cut for scale (long to close, close to long), to isolate a character, emphasize an emotion, or remind the viewer of the larger context (for example, a large dinner party).
    They cut elliptically in order to save screen time.
    They use cutaway shots to emphasize a person or an object.
    They use form cuts, sound bridges, graphic matches, dissolves or fades in order to bridge scenes and make symbolic connections between them.
    They linger on a scene to force the viewer to feel a certain emotion, instead of cutting quickly to the next scene.
    They use music or no music (usually in agreement with composer and director) to heighten a scene.
    They use audio-visual counterpoint to make a point (a cut to a character when the word "hate" is spoken by another character links that word to the listening character, etc.).
    They decide whether to focus on a person speaking or a person listening.
    They establish a place or location with establishing shots, then cut to different parts of a group or location or remind us of the whole scene.
    They lengthen or shorten shots to change the rhythm of a scene.
    And, finally (but not least) they decide to leave a sequence shot or long take untouched, because they know that the scene says more shot the way it was than broken down into separate shots. Why fix it if it's not broke?
    Regarding the original musical, what can one say about one of the finest musicals in history, a perfect blend of lyrics and music, of drama and wit, of book (plot) and characters?
    Yet who would have thought that a story about a woman learning how to speak good English could become a musical of such wit and charm, not to mention inspired melody? Honestly, if I had money and someone asked me to bankroll a musical adaptation of a story about a woman learning how to speak good English I would have dismissed the project as absurd: "How can you make an entertaining musical about a subject like that?"
    And surely the title itself, My Fair Lady, has got to be one of the most inspired titles in Broadway history (the original George Bernard Shaw play was called Pygmalion).
    A final comment should be made about how the composer, Frederick Loewe, revolutionized Broadway melody. This is a perfect example of how necessity is the mother of invention. Faced with the reality that chosen star, Rex Harrison, was unable to sing, Loewe created a kind of sprechgesang, as it's called in German: a kind of talk-singing, for his songs, which has since become much imitated. The rest, as they say, is history.
    Regarding the actual viewing of the film, this is a film class not an MTV class, so viewing the entire film is not necessary. Most of the Study Pictures pertain to the first half of the film anyway.
    Students SHOULD NOT cut a class to see the entire film. Your professor has a right to your attendance just like I have a right to your attendance.
    However, if students have no other classes on Friday afternoon then they will enjoy seeing the complete film. Other students, if they choose, can finish the film on their own. Since the movie DVD is on two sides, this can be easily done by asking the desk staff to play the second side.

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THE THIN BLUE LINE (Complete transcript of the film)

Students might be able to judge the editing of The Thin Blue Line better by studying the transcript of the film here.

AMOS 6:1

FROM AGNES--WITH LOVE

ECCLESIASTES 12:12

Home Listening Due 31 May 2010

FROM AGNES—WITH LOVE

This is a rare comic Twilight Zone episode.
Go here: 1, 2, 3.

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    1. What is broken down completely?
    2. What needs debugging?
    3. How many weeks has Agnes been out of her mind?
    4. Whom does Fred call a femme fatale?
    5. Who's the world's most advanced electronic computer?
    6. Where does Man's long and unpredictable step lead to?
    7. How many games did Agnes win against the world chess champion?
    8. What problems can Agnes solve in less than a millisecond?
    9. What does James Elwood invite Millie to?
    10. What are the cherries covered with?
    11. What did Millie say she just started?
    12. What lecture does Elwood invite Millie to?
    13. What does Millie want Elwood to get for his cherries?
    14. What time is his date with Millie?
    15. What does Elwood tell Agnes to stick to?
    16. Where does Agnes tell Elwood to take Millie after dinner?
    17. What does Millie tell Elwood is "here" with her?
    18. What instrument did Elwood play in high school?
    19. What did his father play?
    20. How does Elwood describe his toe?
    21. What is Millie allergic to?
    22. Whose the star of all mechanical brains?
    23. How many pages in the Venus Project?
    24. How soon does Agnes have to come up with answers?
    25. How many miles divergence can a millisecond error cause?
    26. Whom does Elwood say he has to impress?
    27. What color sports car does Walter have?
    28. In one word, how does Walter describe Millie's eyes?
    29. When is Walter driving his Mustang 500?
    30. What does Walter say adds spice to living?
    31. How fast does Walter's car go?
    32. How fast do astronauts go?
    33. When does Millie say that Walter will help Elwood?
    34. What does Elwood say a computer can't do?
    35. What should all male scientists understand?

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The Theremin

The Theremin was named after its inventor, Leon Theremin. It's an electronic instrument giving off a weird sound. Because of this it's often used for psychological scenes or sci-fi films.
    Miklos Rozsa introduced the instrument into Hollywood scoring with his landmark scores for The Lost Weekend (about an alcoholic with the DTs, or "delerium tremens") and Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, both 1945 (Rozsa won his Oscar for the Spellbound score, though he was nominated for both). T
    hereafter the Theremin became a cliche. It was used successfully, however, in two important sci-fi scores of the 1950s: Dimitri Tiomkin's score for The Thing (from Another World and Bernard Herrmann's great score for The Day the Earth Stood Still.
    Rozsa used it as underscore for the scenes in Spellbound when the hero (Gregory Peck) is haunted by memories of his childhood trauma (he accidentally killed his younger brother). You can see how the Theremin is played here. Or if your cookies are emptied you can use the console below:

Franz Waxman's Love Theme

 A version, played by organ, of  the Love Theme from Franz Waxman's Oscar-winning score from A Place in the Sun, which you studied at home.

Miklos Rozsa's score for SPELLBOUND (Oscar, 1945)

The Spellbound Score

Mikos Rozsa's Oscar-winning score from Spellbound has been recorded numerous times, besides the original soundtrack album. But the score is equally famous in the form of a piano concerto that Rozsa composed in response to the popularity of the musical themes. This is the version you can hear here from Naxos.
    The complete score, including the Theremin (electronic) theme, is well worth getting, but to my knowledge it's not on Naxos. The main themes (including the lovers' Scherzo, the jaunty music heard when the lovers spend the day outdoors) are included in the Spellbound Concerto heard in the link included here.
    In many recordings the Theremin music is played by a regular (acoustic) instrument instead of the Theremin.

SPELLBOUND MONTAGE (2)

SPELLBOUND montage

Scheduled Home Viewing: THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)

JOAN OF ARC

THE LITTLE PEOPLE

Scheduled film for 28 May 2010

THE THIN BLUE LINE

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The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris, 1988) refers to the thin line of the blue-uniformed police who defend the average citizen against criminals. The film uses direct interviews mixed with staged reenactments of events as they are reported.
Almost as a parable of cinema, it's up to the viewer to make sense of all the shots and scenes in the film, a point made in the stylized title, which colors the word "blue" red, a trick of Gestalt psychologists as an exercise in reading forms (that is, does one read it as an image (red) or as a word (blue).
Much of the editing is purposely redundant with what is reported, as if to contrast real images against uncertain reportage, forcing viewers to make up their minds in the same way as with the stylized (red) word "blue" in the title.
Other edited shots, such as clocks and ash trays, are more conventional and seem intrusive. Commentative intercutting between Hollywood genre movies and participants in the docudrama is more effective, undermining the speakers even as they speak.
The dramatic reenactments bring us closer to the truth of what happened even as the stylized images distance us from what happened. In this way they seem to explore elusive nature of filmed truth.
Finally, Philip Glass's minimalist score, with its haunting ostinato figures, contrast the different views of the speakers against the obstinate repetitions of the music.

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ostinato=obstinate; musical figures that stubbornly repeat, as in much of Baroque music, such as Vivaldi or Bach.

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THE LITTLE PEOPLE

Home Listening Assignment due May 24, 2010

THE LITTLE PEOPLE

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View 1, 2, 3 then answer the following questions

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   1. What does Craig say the man who invented the space food must have had?
    2. What does Fletcher say will taste like the drumstick of a Thanksgiiving Day turkey?
    3. Where does Fletcher say that Craig should put his complaints?
    4. How does Craig say he reads Fletcher?
    5. What does Fletcher say that Craig might count?
    6. Where does he tell Craig to weep his tears?
    7. In two words, what does he say is a big thing for Craig?
    8. What may Craig feel up to after dinner?
    9. What stadium does Craig want?
    10. What kind of boss does Craig want to be?
    11. What would he like to give?
    12. According to narrator Rod Serling, how many miles is the canyon from the planet earth?
    13. Who's the commander of the spaceship?
    14. What is the gray-shaded area in space and time?
    15. What does Fletcher say that Craig can check?
    16. What does Fletcher say that Craig should get to work on?
    17. What animal does Fletcher accuse Craig of being?
    18. What hasn't been touched in 24 hours?
    19. How many suns are in the sky?
    20. What did Craig find?
    21. What does Fletcher say he didn't know Craig was?
    22. What does Fletcher find through the microscope?
    23. How many inches wide is the stream?
    24. In one word what does Craig call the clump of little green weeds?
    25. What is the whole race of people no bigger than?
    26. What language do the little people use?
    27. What does Craig say he ate up last night?
    28. What kind of angel does Craig say the little people see him as?
    29. In whose image does Craig say the little people were created?
    30. When did the little people do the statue of Craig?
    31. How many worked on it?
    32. What does Fletcher say the little people can sell Craig's statue for?
    33. When does the countdown start?
    34. What did Fletcher fix?
    35. Who does Fletcher say the little people may build a statue for in 100 years?
    36. What does Fletcher say Craig will die of?
    37. How many gods does Craig say there's room for?
    38. What does Craig tell the little people there must be above all?
    39. What does Craig say the little people must not do?
    40. What are the two giant men on the planet for?
    41. What does the narrator say that Craig is the victim of?
    42. What dies harder than the man?

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Editing sample

BONNIE AND CLYDE and THE CONFORMIST

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THE INFLUENCE OF an American film, Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967) on the assassination scene in The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970) seems evident in the editing of Bertolucci's sequence, which seems modeled on the final shootout in Bonnie and Clyde (seen here), edited by Dede Allen.
    The Bonnie and Clyde sequence seems far better edited, with greater impact in the silent shots. The rhythm of the editing (length of shots, length of shot to content of shot, content of shot in relation to the soundtrack, slow motion within the shot) is more effective. A console of this sequence is below.

FREE MUSIC ACCESS

To All Students,
    According to what I understand, all students with a university IP address can access free of charge the Naxos Music Catalogue, mostly classical music, some film music, and some Easy Listening and Jazz included.
    The link is here. There's a search engine included, so you can type the name of a piece or a composer (for example: "Bach Cello Suites," and you'll get all of Bach's cello suites).
    As you can see, I searched for Tomasso Albinoni's famous Adagio for Strings and Organ and simply typed in "Albinoni adagio" and found it.
    This is a great way to a get a musical education. But don't forget, until the summer, school work comes first.

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ASSIGNED HOME VIEWING (Comments to be emailed at same time as THE CONFORMIST)

THE PASSION OF
JOAN OF ARC
(Carl Th. Dreyer, 1928)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8